1. Field of Invention
This invention is directed to systems and methods for communicating with power sources, control circuit and data storage memory in replaceable monitoring modules installed in or on customer replaceable units, such as, for example toner bottles and image forming devices.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,351,621 to Richards et al., which is commonly assigned and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, teaches advantages of organizing, for ease of maintenance, office equipment, particularly image forming devices, on a modular basis. Specifically, Richards et al. explain that a modular design facilitates greater flexibility by providing on-site repair and service of the modularly designed office equipment. This on-site repair and service generally amounts to little more than removing and replacing a defective module. Actual repair of the module then takes place at an off-site service provider's location. Additionally, an organization using modularly designed office equipment may see potential economic benefit from buying supplies of modules in bulk and/or from a competitively lower cost provider. Richards et al. explain also that the use of modules, particularly for supply units such as toner bottles, is conducive to recycling activities.
Conventionally, modules such as those disclosed in Richards et al. are referred to as Customer Replaceable Units or CRUs. Very often, in practical use, CRUs may include an electronically-readable chip which may contain static information regarding, for example, identification of the CRU such as a serial number, a model number or other component identifying feature, and/or dynamic information relating to a particular CRU's operating status such as, for example, fill level, numbers of uses expended, or other indication of projected service life remaining. When an individual CRU is installed in the modularly designed office equipment, a communications interface is established with the electronically-readable chip as a monitor module which may enable the modularly designed office equipment within which the CRU is installed to read data from, and write data to, the monitor module of the CRU.
Richards et al. teach the concept of a “Customer Replaceable Unit Monitor,” commonly referred to as a CRUM. A CRUM is generally an electronic device which is permanently associated with a customer replaceable unit such as, for example, those which may be installed in electronic modularly designed office equipment such as printers or copiers. Typically, a CRUM includes a non-volatile memory, such as, for example, in the form of an EEPROM, which retains data relevant to the function and performance of the CRU.
Typical data stored on the CRUM includes identification and/or compatibility information regarding the CRU. Various usage data and/or service life data can also be recorded on the CRUM.
Richards et al. disclose a number of systems and methods which are conventionally employed to provide communications interfaces with the CRUM. Among the systems and methods discussed in that patent are those which provide: a capability to measure and record on a non-volatile memory in a CRU maintenance information such as the total number of pages printed and information regarding the latest failure; an ability to enable a printer to check an identification number of a module such as, for example, to ensure that the module is authorized to be installed in the printer; for multi-color printing capabilities, operational characteristics such as, for example, a code indicating the color of the ink available in the CRU as well as the ability to monitor the amount of ink used and to provide the user warning of impending exhaustion of ink; and many other related capabilities such as, for example, limiting a specific unit to an overall total number of print evolutions or print cycles, or to provide security, or to provide product matching, or to provide tamper resistance, or to provide any other like capability.
Richards et al. teach, as an improvement over a requirement for a hard-wired cable connection for communicating with the CRUM, a system and method for wireless communication with the CRUM. A wireless CRUM system employs magnetic and/or electromagnetic fields to both power and transfer data to and from the CRUM. A method of providing wireless power sourcing and associated control circuitry, and wireless data transfer capability, substantially overcomes any drawbacks associated with earlier hard-wired or multiple contact-type connections that provided a hard-wired source of power and data transfer capability between the office equipment or device in which the CRU is installed, and the monitoring chip or CRUM installed in or on the CRU. Hard-wired connections generally have a disadvantage of limiting any range of motion, or speed of motion, or both, of CRUs which may move by, for example, reciprocating and/or rotating, sometimes at high speed in operation. Many of the disadvantages and/or limitations introduced by the necessity of a hard-wired connection to a moving object are eliminated or reduced through use of wireless communication for power sourcing and/or data transfer, such as that disclosed in Richards et al., to power and control, and/or read from and write to, a CRUM.